Silverstone MotoGP

Silverstone MotoGP

Mostly because of lack of excitement for motorcycle race sport, a had no idea if Silverstone MotoGP will give me so many fun. Looking when someone else race around the track it’s quite interesting. But when I have to ride around the track is something what I like 🙂 On each curve you can try how much fear you can’t left behind you, how much you can more.

The year 2017 is an exceptional year. Unique because for the second time I managed to be part of history together with Kinga. Silverstone MotoGP was not a trip for us to see how famous they race. It was mainly a trip on record for the biggest female parade on the Silverstone racetrack. It was a unique event on the world scale. A big tribute to the organizers Sharrie Woolf and Nimi Patel and the owner of the Silverstone track for making this trip possible.

Journey

An early wake-up call was not the most pleasant one. Especially since on the previous day I caught a flat tyre and about 22.00 I patched the rear tire. I did it for the first time in my life, the set I bought for “just in case”, it worked great, now I do not move anywhere without it 🙂

Still sleepy on August 26, we set off to the meeting place. We agreed to meet at the BP station in Thame, at some sick hour, at 7am. We managed to get there around time, but the group had small deley due to the small organise confusion 🙂 After a leading change to align the column and accelerate the pace we were able to reach Silverstone around 8:30am.

This was the assumption that we would as far as possible enter the track before the start of the qualifying round. Our parking was located in the center of the track where we had access to the grandstands to watch the races themselves, and it stands with accessories mainly associated with the cult of Rossi and MotoGP 🙂

Park place on heart of track

The day on track

Because Silverstone was just the first day of our weekend, we were pretty well prepared. In the panniers were shoes for change and sweatshirts. Thanks to this, we could comfortably and reasonably move around the track and take advantage of the attractions.

The local police station, in addition to the show car from sponsors, a polished three-wheeled Polaris, also prepared a rather interesting simulator. You can check it out while simultaneously writing sms and driving a car. Pretty surreal experience. I did not drive anybody, but for that I scoured the lamp on the pavement 🙂
All in all, nothing strange, I do not have the skill to write sms and drive cars at the same time 🙂

The Extreme Wheelie company prepared two stations on which one could practice putting the motorcycle on a wheel. First, a small training on what rotation range should be held with the wheel up, then try to put on a wheel with the help of the company’s employees. After a successful attempt, stand alone on the wheel and exercise to maintain a stable motorcycle position. Honestly, I did not expect it to be such fun 🙂

Coffee and chat with friends from Motorbike Women, watching several training sessions and races from the stands, then on big screens. There were better approximations on large screens. However, from the stands you could see better how the players fall out of the track 🙂 We also wandered at the stands with motorcycle clothing but in addition to stickers from MotoGP nothing interesting catch our attention.

Parade on Silverstone track

Odprawa przed wjazdem na tor

It was not until around 5pm that the organizers allowed us to move and we were redirected from our parking lot to the next waiting room. This time it was a parking lot located just before the entrance to the track. We were waiting there for the main briefing, on which we explained the security rules and regulations to which we must apply on the track. Despite the fact that our ride was just a parade, or a quiet ride, we were imposed a restriction in the form of a ban on crossing 30 miles/h.

Czekamy na parade

We also had a lot of time to make new friends, talk about the motorbikes we drive on and why. Wide range of age of female bikers. Ladies on sports bikes, big and heavy tourers like Pan European or BMW R1200RT not to mention 1200GS. Fans of cruiser and nakeds. A full range of motorcycles from 125cc to 1700cc. Finally, Nimi and Sharrie get signal that we were gathering for the parade.

The entrance to the track was preceded by nervous anticipation in the pit lane. Exactly to the minute and in accordance with the schedule of Silverstone MotoGP we were allowed to enter the track.

We were split into two groups, in total 213 women on motorcycles participated in the parade. Politely, we drove in a short run on the Silverstone in pairs. The tempo at the beginning of the parade, dignified. We waved to the rest of MotoGP visitore who waved and took pictures of us. After several dozen meters, the parade stretched a bit and the pace ceased to be parade. I do not know if the girls have seen what the real racers are doing, or maybe we were given the atmosphere of Silverstone, but the pace of parade exceeded 30 miles/h and the turns seemed to be tightened 🙂

Probably fortunately, after another few minutes a signal flag appeared, telling us that it was time to finish the parade and go to the parking lot. Thanks to this, the organisers did not get hit hard from Silverstone for the fast pace of the parade, in the second group. I do not know how it happened but we were with Kinga just in the second group 🙂 With a slight hunger and a strong decision to return to Silverstone on the occasion of some track day, we left the track politely and went with the rest of the participants to our parking lot.

Goodbye and trip Peak District

For us, this day has not ended yet. After the long-awaited parade, there was still a road towards the Peak District ahead of us. The hotel was already waiting. It was left to say goodbye to the girls, check the luggage, set the GPS and move on.

Despite the very long day, it was only the first day of our long weekend, and so much has happened. For the rest of the photos and photos from the Peak District, I invite you to the next post.